Bacon asparagus puff pastry spirals

For special occasions only? Well, these bacon asparagus puff pastry spirals are a bit challenging to make especially in warm weather. The bacon fat can make the rashers slippery and difficult to handle. The puff pastry will also thaw too fast if the indoor temperature is enough to make you perspire. If it never gets that hot in your part of the world, congratulations, you can make this lovely dish any time of the year.

Start by trimming the asparagus. The tough woody end (the lower portion of the stalk) is too fibrous so discard that. Just bend each spear and it will naturally snap at the place where the fibrous portion ends and the soft portion begins.

Bacon rashers are too wide for this recipe. You have to cut each rasher into two strips. If your bacon slices are too thin, you have the option of folding each slice to halve the width.

Then, you wrap a strip of bacon around an asparagus. You need to leave space for the puff pastry so don’t completely cover the asparagus with bacon.

The puff pastry has to be cut into strips about the same width as the cut bacon. You take a strip of puff pastry and wrap it around the asparagus to fill the spaces not covered by the bacon.

To make your bacon asparagus puff pastry spirals turn golden during baking, brust the tops with egg wash. Remember to arrange them on a baking sheet in such a way that they don’t touch another. The puff pastry expands during baking (that’s why they’re called puff pastry) so you’ll need to put space between them to allow the hot air to circulate around each piece.

Bacon asparagus puff pastry spirals

Note that you cannot roll frozen puff pastry. It needs to thaw a bit to make it pliable. But you don't want it to soften all the way either because it will break when cut intro strips. How early you should take it out of the freezer depends on how hot it is in your kitchen.

Note also that ovens behave differently. A fan assisted-oven will brown the puff pastry and bacon faster than a traditional oven. Check after 20 minutes to see how the bacon puff pastry asparagus spirals are doing. If they still look pale, bake for another five to ten minutes.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: International

Keyword: Asparagus, Bacon, Puff Pastry

Servings: 4 people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

• 15 asparagus spears baby asparagus is NOT recommended
• 8 fatty bacon rashers
• 1 four-inch block puff pastry
• all-purpose flour for dusting
• 1 egg beaten with generous pinches of salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Rinse the asparagus spears and dry with a kitchen towel.
• Take an asparagus and bend to break off the tough woody end.
• Repeat with the rest of the asparagus spears.
• Discard the tough ends.
• Cut each bacon rasher horizontally into two portions.
• Take an asparagus spear and roll a strip of bacon around it diagonally. Make sure that there is space in between the rolled bacon.
• Repeat until all the asparagus spears have been rolled with bacon.
• Dust your work surface with flour.
• Roll out the puff pastry into a ten-inch square to a thickness of less than a quarter inch.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 15 strips about half an inch wide.
• Take a bacon-rolled asparagus and roll a strip of puff pastry from end to end. Position the puff pastry so that it alternates with the bacon.
• Line two baking trays with silicone mats or non-stick paper.
• Arrange the bacon and puff-pastry covered asparagus spears on the baking trays. Keep them two inches apart to allow room for the pastry to puff.
• Brush the bacon asparagus puff pastry spirals liberally with the beaten egg.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in a 400F oven.
• Take the baking trays out of the oven and cool for a minute or two before serving.